The Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD) is pleased to announce that Lieutenant Juan Perez has been awarded the departmental Exceptional Service Award and selected Distinguished Officer of the Month for May 2008. Lieutenant Perez has been a Department member since July 1990 and is assigned to the Cutler Ridge District

On May 21, 2007, Lieutenant Perez was selected as the Cutler Ridge District General Investigation Unit Commander.  Upon being assigned to his new position, the Cutler Ridge District was experiencing an increase in Residential Burglaries upwards of 14 percent, Auto Thefts at 8 percent, and Robberies at 25 percent  Lieutenant Perez immediately conducted specific crime analysis to identify areas of concern within the district. 

Once the crime trends were determined, Lieutenant’s Perez employed excellent leadership skills which were instrumental in motivating his personnel to devise and implement solutions to address the escalation in certain crimes.   With the support of the Cutler Ridge District Command Staff, Lieutenant Perez was given the latitude to conduct large-scale proactive enforcement operations utilizing the General Investigation Unit (GIU), Neighborhood Resource Unit, and Uniform Patrol. 

Lieutenant Perez conducted daily briefings and deployed personnel to areas of concern. Surveillances, proactive enforcement, and use of a traffic enforcement component yielded successful results.  Through his leadership style and his ability to scrutinize crime patterns that respond to strategic deployment, Lieutenant Perez has achieved a harmonious and well-orchestrated crime reduction initiative.  He has been selected as the South Operations Division divisional enforcement sweep coordinator.  He meets regularly with other GIU Commanders to brainstorm, identify similar crime patterns, and discuss new deployment strategies.

From June 1, 2007, through December 31, 2007, Lieutenant Perez’s leadership, camaraderie, and vision contributed to the GIU identifying and arresting 177 residential burglars, 12 commercial burglars, and 59 auto theft subjects.  Weekly enforcement operations, dubbed “Operation Quadrant Press,” yielded 156 felonies, 101 misdemeanors, 27 traffic, and 98 warrant arrests. 

Overall, the GIU made a total of 1,394 arrests, of which 791 were felonies.  By the end of December 2007, the residential burglaries decreased by 12.32 percent.   Additionally, there was a reduction of 8.04 percent in auto thefts, and 6.64 percent in commercial burglaries.   Robberies were reduced by 8.56 percent, year to date.   

A tragic event during this time period occurred when Detective Jose Somohano was shot and killed and three other officers were wounded by a subject armed with an assault rifle.  Throughout this horrific ordeal and in its aftermath, Lieutenant Perez forged a strong relationship with Detective Somohano’s family, providing them with much needed support.

Lieutenant Perez has consistently demonstrated leadership qualities that have been instrumental in accomplishing an overall crime reduction of 2.22 percent in Cutler Ridge District for the year.  His response to various crime trends, utilization of sound police tactics, and his ability to instill principles of dedicated teamwork in others have all been exemplary.  The professional manner in which he handled his role as the GIU Commander, coupled with his tenacious dedication, clearly illustrate that he is a valuable asset to the Department and the community. 

Prepared by:
Sandra G. Kramer
Media Relations Bureau